On the Horizon
About: DM: Jedcaj Players: * Cinnabar d'Phiarlan, elf bard * Thak of the Black Sands, halfling druid * Moss, warforged fighter * Torben, dwarf druid Notable NPCs: * Zelda, blonde hostess of the hotel * Tasha, former love interest of Thak, trapped at the hotel * Renna, Valenar elf trapped at the hotel * The Desperado, warlock tracking Overlord allies * Rose and Don, surviving Wayfinders trapped at the hotel * Zym d'Ghallanda, friend of Boroman ir'Dayne with a cursed mark Introduction: On a particularly wet and dreary day in the City of Towers, a courier delivers a message to four Sharn Wayfinders. The envelope is marked with the Wayfinder seal and it is immediately apparent this is a mission message. Upon opening the envelope, a lightning rail ticket accompanies a message on parchment. The message reads: Wayfinders, Your assistance is needed in helping to aid a newer group of Fairhaven Wayfinders who have gone missing. They were sent on a mission to find an old pre-Ghallanda inn established in the desert by the family of a man I owe a favor to. If it weren't for Zym d'Ghallanda, I wouldn't be alive today. You see, Zym's ancestors tried building a desert outpost in an oasis but had to abandon the business after unfortunate circumstances, the details of which he didn't indulge. I assume the weather and general climate with a mix of cabin fever got to the poor family. Anyway, a special family heirloom, a silver chain necklace with a locket, was lost and forgotten, and only recently learned about when Zym went reading through some old journals of his family. He wanted to turn in his favor for a group to retrieve the heirloom. Obviously, this was a perfect job for some newcomers to the Fairhaven branch. I sent them on their way with the same excitement in their eyes that some of you had when you got your first mission. Unfortunately, they haven't checked in for two weeks now. Their journey from Gatherhold to the abandoned inn should only have been a few days at worst, and I fear that things may have gone south. I've selected you because of your experience in the hopes that you can go to this inn and retrieve the lost Wayfinders, hopefully alive, and the heirloom if possible. Included in this envelope is a lightning rail ticket to Gatherhold. There, Zym will meet you to give you any needed information about the lost family inn and about the group that was sent out there first. The poor man feels awful about the Wayfinders being hurt or worse in the Blade Desert, so please send him my best and assure him you will find these Wayfinders. Gatherhold will be the last major place to purchase any necessary gear for your trip before heading out. Good luck, Wayfinders. Boroman ir'Dayne ---------- After making any last minute arrangements and grabbing whatever personal gear you need, you make your way to Terminus to find a first class sleeping cabin is reserved for you. Four bunks with comfortable throw pillows and decorative sheets. A central table is prepared with many types of fruit, roast beef, and toasted bread. Wine and ale are at the ready for those that wish to partake during your several day journey. Summary: Making it to Gatherhold, the Wayfinders found Zym at his rundown tavern called The Last Resort. There, they found him covered in boils, his Mark of Hospitality not working correctly, and his business about to go under. He explained about his family's curse and his desire to find a long heirloom to ward his bad luck. After preparing some provisions for the trip across the Blade Desert, the Wayfinders began their trip. On a dark desert highway, cool wind in their hair. The warm smell of colitas rising up through the air. Up ahead in the distance they saw a shimmering light. Their head grew heavy and their sight grew dim. They decided to stop for the night. As she stood in the doorway, they heard the mission bell. They were thinking to themselves this could be heaven or this could be hell. Then she lit up a candle and she showed them the way. There were voices down the corridors. But everyone rolled poorly and couldn't hear what they said. The Lovely Shire Bell was supposed to be abandoned, but the Wayfinders found it lively and in the middle of a party. A party they found happened every day. The guests there seemed to be indulging in their desires and slowly losing themselves to their earthly pleasures. The hostess, Zelda, was very friendly but also seemed to be interested in getting the Wayfinders to participate. Rose and Don were quickly spotted, along with Tasha, but they had a very difficult time remembering their lives outside of the hotel. The Wayfinders set to exploring the hotel, realizing there was no escape through normal means, and magic was suppressed from within the hotel as well. They discovered a slowly dying Valenar elf named Renna who had been trying to avoid temptation and find a way out, but was so far unsuccessful and was starving to death. They decided to stay with her and create a safe place to wait out the party. After the party, the Wayfinders explored more of the hotel. Moss decided that the oasis at the center seemed important and submerged his head, only to be paralyzed by one of three hags hiding beneath the water. The Wayfinders fought the hag until she retreated, then investigated the immovable bell in the bell tower only to find another hag waiting for them there. With more sense about what they were dealing with, they retrieved Rose, Don, and Tasha and kept them in their safe room to recover. They learned that every night there was a feast that everyone seemed to fear. Upon attending, a Glabrezu was summoned to feed upon the guests, but the Wayfinders managed to defeat the beast, as the summoning brought magic back momentarily. One rescued guest, known as The Desperado, slowly remembered that he was here hunting servants of an Overlord known as Xagthuxiz, a demon of hedonism. He recalled tracking a Rakshasa who was attempting to release the demon before getting trapped in the hotel. Armed with the knowledge of the coven of hags and the Rakshasa waiting below the hotel, the group set out with the help of Don and The Desperado to put things to an end. After killing one of the hags and breaking the coven, the other hags fled, while the Rakshasa, later revealed to be known as Bhamru, fled to Kythri with the locket Zym asked them to find. With the help of The Desperado, they followed her to the plane of chaos and discovered a Githzerai named Randak, the Keen, who told them the Rakshasa was hiding in a group of Githyanki who were hunting him. Cinnabar convinced Randak to help them in exchange for a future favor. Capturing Bhamru in a magic circle, the Wayfinders questioned her and she taunted them. They retrieved the locket, but Bhamru attempted and succeeded on a planeshift spell to escape once more. Their mission complete, the Wayfinders returned to Eberron to help with evacuating the hotel before burning it to the ground. Epilogues Galore! Rose and Don returned to Fairhaven and quit the Wayfinders. Renna traveled to Sharn with Cinnabar, accepting her invitation to join the Wayfinders which, after a lengthy application process, was accepted. The Desperado left for the Demon Wastes to serve his patron. Zelda returned to enact revenge on her husband who sent her to the hotel to be trapped while he took control of a secret organization (which turned out to be Jorunn's former employers). The hags charmed a desert wanderer to begin rebuilding the hotel. Finally, Bhamru killed Zym and stole back the locket before traveling to the Mror Holds to enact her plan as see in Cold Spell.